Chapter 44: The Final Dawn
Often, people believe the Chaos Gods lure individuals into depravity and corruption through various illusions and deceptions.
However, Chaos's most adept method of seduction is to acknowledge your achievements, praise your strength, and help you fulfill the dreams you've always longed for.
In this process, one unknowingly becomes a devoted follower of Chaos.
And the Dark Gods had precisely exploited the desires in Valentin's heart.
As a blood-relative of the Mongorte family, he had lost to Ludwig in the contest for the Rogue Trader succession.
He had always believed Ludwig used schemes and trickery to seize the position that rightfully belonged to him, and that after Ludwig became Rogue Trader, he continued to persecute his family.
Ludwig had removed his family from the position of Planetary Governor, handing it over to an outsider, and even continued to reclaim rights that originally belonged to their family.
He had been assigned to manage the chaotic underhive.
As time went on, the resentment in his heart grew ever larger. He believed this Dynasty had become utterly rotten.
And his gradually falling soul attracted the attention of entities within the Warp.
That unknown presence continuously acknowledged his achievements and abilities, constantly telling him that all things in the world would end, and his Dynasty would be no different.
And when all things ended, a new dynasty and order would be rebuilt upon the existing ruins and corpses. As long as he was willing to pledge himself to Chaos, he would possess the power to accomplish all this.
Valentin agreed. From then on, he was no longer Valentin Mongorte, but the leader of the Final Dawn cult on Agathos.
Using his authority, he continuously recruited followers and, with the power bestowed by the Dark Gods, corrupted his own kin. When Ludwig went astray in the Warp and lost contact, he knew his chance had come.
The original plan was to slowly expand his cult and use the power of the Dark Gods to corrupt key officials within the Dynasty.
But no one expected the Dynasty's flagship to actually emerge from the Warp, and with a new Rogue Trader at its helm. He knew he couldn't wait any longer and thus launched the armed coup. That detestable Rebecca had long been wary of him, which made the assault on the uphive drag on!
And not only that, but various reports of attacks constantly came from the territories he controlled.
That Order of Battle Sisters was absurdly powerful. His cultists and the soldiers originally belonging to his family were no match for them.
Their faith in the False Emperor was far too steadfast!
Faith granted them resistance to corruption, and their excellent combat skills were the blades bestowed upon them by the God-Emperor.
They roamed the underhive of the city, even gathering those commoners of the underhive who remained loyal to the Imperium and did not wish to become monsters.
They were like torches in the darkness, letting people know the God-Emperor was still by their side.
They constantly attacked his supply depots and lines. Valentin knew these Sisters were targeting him personally!
And besides these Sisters, two other forces he hadn't anticipated were obstructing him.
One was a cult known as the Death Cult, which was continuously assassinating his officers and important members of his church. Even the unsanctioned psykers he secretly harbored could not escape their assassinations.
Valentin had always known of this Death Cult's existence. Some even said they had appeared when the Dynasty first colonized this planet. However, in the past, they had only been active in the underhive and even the hive bottom. He had never considered this small-numbered cult a serious matter, but now they were causing him considerable trouble.
The Death Cult worshipped the God-Emperor with a frenzy that surpassed even that of the Ecclesiarchy members, extreme in their devotion. They believed blood and sacrifice were the foundations of human existence, that it was the God-Emperor's great sacrifice that allowed humanity to endure, and that the God-Emperor, sitting on the Golden Throne between life and death, was the personification of Death itself.
For these people, every death, every wound, every drop of blood was an act of worship towards the Immortal Emperor of Mankind. They were fixated on killing anyone who disrespected the God-Emperor and were the most feared presence in the underhive.
And the lives of these heretics and enemies of mankind were the best sacrifices to the God-Emperor.
Their supremely skilled swordsmanship and assassination techniques allowed them to continuously reap the lives of their enemies. Fortunately, the Death Cult did not have many members; not everyone could accept such an extreme doctrine.
Although Valentin could not exterminate these Death Cultists, they too could not harm his core strength.
What troubled Valentin the most was the hive bottom.
He had originally thought that if he made some promises to the sump-scrappers, they would willingly sell their lives for him. He couldn't believe anyone would want to live in that dark hive bottom.
It was a place of deadly radiation and wastewater, where even a mouthful of normal food was a luxury.
He could accept the mutants; these people were the most suitable source of Chaos worshippers.
But he had never expected that this bunch of sump trash would actually fortify the hive bottom and prevent his entry, not only rejecting his call but also attacking his soldiers and cultists.
They would even proactively aid those in the hive bottom who were unwilling to turn to Chaos!
They treated the hive bottom as their own territory and were even showing signs of breaking out.
And it had to be said, the combat strength of these mutants was far greater than imagined, and their fighting spirit was frighteningly resolute.
Soldiers reported that they too shouted the God-Emperor's name. Since when had the mutants of the hive bottom become so faithful to the God-Emperor?
Though the situation seemed overwhelmingly in his favor, only Valentin himself knew he could not wait any longer. The longer it dragged on, the more his disadvantage would become apparent.
He planned to conduct an unparalleled sacrifice tomorrow and summon the true "Dawn" into this world. It would help him break through the seemingly impregnable defenses of the uphive.
Leaving the forge workshop, Valentin, under the protection of his guards, arrived at the sacrificial site.
As far as the eye could see, hundreds upon thousands of cages held countless civilians and workers from the underhive.
There were adults, the elderly, and many young children, all ruthlessly imprisoned in these iron cages like livestock.
No one paid any attention to their pleas or curses.
Looking at the surrounding scene, even the dullest among them knew their impending fate.
"Master, a total of 99,999 people are all here!"
"Very good. How is the ritual progressing?"
"Ninety-five percent! All preparations will definitely be completed before tomorrow!"
"Speed it up!"
"Yes, Master!"
They refused to embrace the arrival of the Final Dawn, so they would become fuel for the Dawn's arrival.
One by one, unsanctioned psykers were using blood to paint blasphemous ritual circles on the walls of the sacrificial hall.
These circles would become bridges between the material universe and the Warp.
And the lives and souls of these people would serve as the key to opening the gate.
And the timing, one day later, coincided perfectly with Lucan's planned operation.
One day passed quickly.
The re-embarked fleet had once again approached the planetary orbit of Agathos.
Lucan watched Harlan and the others donning their RS Interface Suits and said:
"The pressurization systems and oxygen supply modules within the fighters will allow you to operate in orbit for a short time, but only a very short time.
The warships will advance into orbit and weather the enemy's first wave of fire to deliver you into planetary orbit.
The locations of important ground defense installations have already been transmitted to the Banshees' tactical systems.
Your mission is not to completely destroy them! It is to paralyze them, to make them lose their firing capability! Buy time for the fleet's landing operation!"
"I understand, Captain!"
"May the God-Emperor protect you!"
After giving Lucan the Sign of the Aquila, Harlan climbed into the cockpit of his Banshee.
(End of Chapter)